The Bulletin of Whitchurch on Thames whitchurchonthames.com Most Whitchurch residents think of the Greyhound as an icon of the Village. Now it is up for sale and there is a real possibility it will be converted into a private dwelling. If there is someone with enough drive and determination to raise half a million very quickly it could be saved, but otherwise there is a real risk that as a pub it will become just a memory. What disturbs me most about that is the potential loss of another focal point in the Village. Most of our residents have demanding jobs,and often both parents work full time. There is little energy to spare. The risk is that we become less of a community of 320 dwellings and more like 320 islands. It is always the same people who turn out to plant trees on the Village Green or organise the Garden Walk or the Arts and Crafts Exhibition. We all enjoy the fruits of their labours but some of them are feeling that the demands are becoming too great and that we need others to join in. So if you care about our Village, get in touch with a Council member or a member of any group that may have interested you. Maybe, for example, you would like to help with the Arts and Crafts exhibition in November ( things have to be thought about well in advance ) or perhaps you might like to help in the organisation of the summer Garden Walk. The Whitchurch Society would welcome new members. You will find names on our web site and of course at the foot of articles in the Bulletin. At last the weather appears to have relented a bit and we can start to think of a warmer spring. Perhaps even some summer sunshine. There are still some people with real problems and there are questions that need answers. SODC has asked the Parish Council for a report. A study group which includes a professional river engineer has been brought together and has already produced an interim report. The final report will be released for all to read once the working group is satisfied that it represents reality to the best of their under- standing. The Hardwick Road passing place and mudbath-by-Muddy Lane project is having red tape problems. OCC provided the funds and the project team thought they had everything organised and were set to go ahead when OCC decided that they had issued the wrong permits. So far they have not come up with the right ones. I don’t need to record what the team think! 1 I can’t get away without mentioning the Bridge. Firstly, I have to remind everyone that the bridge is actually the private property of the Company of Proprietors of Whitchurch Bridge as governed by the 1792 and 1988 Acts. Although they do not have to listen to what anyone says, the two Acts do determine the limits to the tolls they can charge. The Consultation Document to which there is a link on our web site is an attempt to simplify the mechanism by which tolls can be increased. My personal opinion is that option 2 would be a disaster for us but option 1, or something very like it, might prove to be workable. The Parish Council is seeking professional advice on the matter. We will certainly respond as a Parish Council. There is a link to the report of the meeting between John Howell, Alok Sharma and the Bridge Company on our web site. So far as progress of the reconstruction goes, at the moment you can find a rumour to fit any scenario you may like - or dislike. Myths spread like moths round a candle. Our web site will carry whatever firm information is available and nothing else. The latest I have is that OCC Highways say they expect the road closure orders will have to remain “until July at the earliest”. No specific reason or analysis is given. Geoff Weir has asked to be allowed to address the Village AGM in the Village hall on the 8th of April starting at 8 pm. So please come along and listen to what he has to tell, and also of course to hear what all the the various Village activities are up to. You may even find that one of those activities is something you would like to be a part of. Or you might decide that something else is a brilliant idea and start it up yourself! The police report that there has been a substantial reduction in theft in our area since the bridge closed. That suggests the need for vehicles to carry away things like lawn mowers. Their recommendation is to keep those sheds locked at night and paint your mower in such terrible colours that it will be easily recognised and therefore too much of a risk for any thief. Finally, it seems that a surprising number of our residents have written a book, have had a book written about them or a book has been written about their forebears. So a section of the web site is being built to cater for this. I am sure it will provide a lot of interest and anyone with information should contact Richard Wingfield [email protected] Harry Butterworth 2 WHITCHURCH SOCIETY GARDEN WALK SUNDAY 15 JUNE Gardens will open from 1.30 to 4.30 pm. As in the past, with the generous agreement of Matilda and Neil King, tea and cakes with be served in The White House garden from 4 pm. Cost £3 adults, £1 children. Matilda is happy for children to use the swimming pool pro- vided they are supervised. The tennis court is also available if you bring your own racquets. A list of open gardens will be delivered to each household nearer the date. A Garden Open notice will be displayed at each address. We are still keen to find new households willing to put their gardens on show. Please contact the undersigned ASAP if you are interested. Ian Bruce Secretary – tel 984 2653, mobile 07879 405559, email [email protected] ART & CRAFT EXHIBITION Date has been fixed for Saturday 15 November. Everybody, please take you cameras on holiday. Note that photos taken with Smartphones are perfectly acceptable. The procedure, updated for 2014, for submission of entries to the exhibition will be shown on the Whitchurch on Thames website under Village Groups/The Whitchurch Society. Joyce Voysey theme will be published shortly – on the website and elsewhere. Of course, this prize is available for any art and craft entry. 3 WHITCHURCH LITTER BLITZ Spend an hour or two keeping Whitchurch beautiful! Come along on Saturday the 5th of April and volunteer to pick-up a street or two. Bags, litter pickers, and Hi Vis Jackets will be provided. Please bring your own gloves. There are about 8 litter pick-up streets identified and we need about 2 or 3 people for each, so the more people we get the quicker it will go. It couldn’t be easier to volunteer for your community! Please contact Jim Donahue and [email protected] or 07557668601 if you can make it and let him know if you have a preferred pick-up area. Or just show up in front of the Greyhound on the day! Village Hall Management Committee Report 1 Mrs Laura Lucas joined the Committee, replacing Dr Matilda Oppenheimer who resigned due to pressure of work and other commitments. 2 Income for the hall fell slightly in 2013. The loss of the Young Riparians, Toddlers Group and fewer private functions, was only partly offset by extra Pilates classes and other activities. A much higher gas bill over the very cold winter period increased expenditure but this year’s figure for gas is significantly lower. 3 Eddie Pilcher, the hall’s manager suffered a severe stroke and we have appointed Mr Richard Scearce, a retired postman living in Manor Road to replace him. He is making a very good start. 4 A number of minor improvements were made during the year but no further capital expenditure is planned for 2014. 4 Katie SMITH Kathleen Eva Bolton was born on the 18th March 1919 at 445 Sandygate Road, SHEFFIELD, the youngest of three daughters. Educated at Lydgate Lane Elementary School and the Central Secondary School she matriculated in 1935 but, with little interest in an academic career, declined to follow her elder sister into the University but signed up for a 6-month course, in shorthand and typing, at the Gregg School. Bored, she left after 3 months, having already acquired a workable ability in both subjects. After watching a film on the production of steel in the city of Sheffield she joined the English Steel Corporation in 1936 where she began work in the Chemistry laboratory meanwhile taking a night- school place in the Applied Science Department of the University in Metallur- gy, later transferrring to a Trades Technical course on the Treatment and Testing of Sheffield Steels. She was the only woman on both courses. Katie met her future husband, Richard Smith, at about this time. He was a trainee professional at the Hallamshire Golf Club and was a lodger with the Misses Wood, who also owned 445 Sandygate Road. They were married in July 1942. Richard, by then drafted into the RAF, had managed to arrange 48 hours leave. Their honeymoon, of 24 hours, was spent at the New Bath Hotel in Matlock. The couple agreed not to have a family.